Help cycling tank

Oso687

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Hello I have a 13.5 gal saltwater tank with Live rock and live sand I used 2 oz of dr Tim’s one and only and I put 4 drops per gal 54 drops of dr Tim’s ammonium chloride my ammonia is reading 8.0 ppm and my nitrite is reading 0.5 I think I might have messed up by adding 4 drops per gal of tank and not the water in the tank is there anything I can do to fix this or do I leave it alone
 

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In essence you stalled your cycle, I can only speak to what I would do but knowing that it’s only 13 gallons I would probably mix up a fresh batch of saltwater and do a change out of 10gallons or so.
 
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Thank you for replying so basically drain it and start over?
I don’t think it’s necessary to drain it but you can if you want to, keep in mind most of the bacteria you added attached itself to the substrate, sand, rock, and glass surfaces - so if you drain it completely and start over you’re gonna have to start from scratch.
 
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Specific Ocean

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I'm going through the same dilemma. I'm old school and use to do the raw shrimp method.

I'm using Dr Tims now that I got back in the hobby.

don't start over. Just let the bacteria catch up.

don't do water changes. don't add anymore ammonium chloride. test every day.
 
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Yeah I think I'm in the same boat and stuffed mine.
Initially added about 180 drops of Ammonium Chloride to my Waterbox 70.2, Ammonia dropped to 0.5 in 2 days.
Then I dosed it with about 200 odd. Ever since my Ammonia has sat at 1.5 and hasn't moved (using Salifert test kit).
Today is Day 13.
 
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I went and got some Seachem Stability today to add to the tank. My LFS tells me this should add additional bacteria to assist with the process due to the cycle stalling on me. (That and I'm a bit impatient to wait). I'm told it's also useful to add during a water change.
 
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brandon429

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Oso


read this

post pics of your rock

if it’s dry start rock you aren’t done cycling. If it was truly live, which we cover there, you are.
 
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ReefRusty

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I went and got some Seachem Stability today to add to the tank. My LFS tells me this should add additional bacteria to assist with the process due to the cycle stalling on me. (That and I'm a bit impatient to wait). I'm told it's also useful to add during a water change.
Just leave it, don't test till day 15. It will happen. Patience is a virtue apparently, it's hard in this hobby to have Patience though.
 
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Oso687

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Thank you everyone for your help by the time everyone said to leave it alone I already drained it lol but I re filled and tested my ammonia was down to 0.50 when I get home from work I’m gonna re test. Do you think I should put more nitrifying bacteria or leave it alone? Also it’s day 3 and it calls for me to add more ammonium chloride don’t no if I should
 
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Thank you everyone for your help by the time everyone said to leave it alone I already drained it lol but I re filled and tested my ammonia was down to 0.50 when I get home from work I’m gonna re test. Do you think I should put more nitrifying bacteria or leave it alone? Also it’s day 3 and it calls for me to add more ammonium chloride don’t no if I should
at this point leave it be...
wait a couple of weeks and test.
 
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brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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why not consider the thread above, you could be already cycled. its important not to recycle already cycled rock. the going assumption here is that you aren't cycled, but that can't be the takeaway after reading the link.

nobody can give you help cycling your tank accurately until they discern if you have live rock, which shows up ready, or dry rock falsely stated as live, which shows up unready.

per your description, you are cycled already, that's quite a detail for you to consider. link, info is there
 
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Gogoggansgo

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Pretty m
Leave it alone.

The bacteria will catch up and multiply to eat the ammonia. Thats their biological function.

Once ammonia bottoms out and nitrates start to climb then do a water change.
Right on the money, you can either poor the rest of the bottle and wait around or just wait around lol

give it a month you’ll be alright
 
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brandon429

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forty live rock transfer skip cycles. We wouldn’t add bottled bac, that’s redundant

whatever test kits say here, they say for most reefs. Well after a cycle, I can find an api misread in two clicks. common


People take the readings here at face value because its a new set of rocks in the house, but the same readings posted on myriad matured reefs are cast off as invalid.

the crowd is led by context, but live rocks sure are not.

can’t have it both ways, testers are right or they’re not. That’s a work thread of forty skip cycles to show work involved in the assessment.

true live rock from pet store moves home instantly ready. It’s wet when you buy it, from a vat of obviously live rock at the store and it’s marked live on the sign.


dry rock requires as long to be ready as the directions show on the bottle bac. It’s dry when you bring it home. All advice here given to this poster assumes we are dealing in totally dry rocks.
 
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brandon429

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See how we agree it's false read there

Context leads the crowd.
 
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Oso687

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yep add that per the directions (The bacteria will need something to breakdown). Don’t add any more if your ammonia and nitrite values are over 5ppm

when the values hit 2ppm, then add it
Ok soo I drained the tank added more Nitrifying bacteria and brought my ammonia level to 2 ppm over the last few days the ammonia has been dropping today my ammonia is at .50 Nitrate is at 5.0 and nitrate is at 40 should I add more ammonia or leave it be
 
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